Try these 5 potato latkes recipes to put a delicious spin on Hanukkah

Yes, we know Thanksgiving is behind us but another holiday is about to begin and with it comes more delicious traditional dishes.

Hanukkah arrives early this year, beginning Sunday and running through Dec. 10. The Jewish Festival of Lights commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees after it was destroyed by the Syrians. It is marked by successively lighting eight candles on a menorah, according to chabad.org.

A scrumptious traditional food of Hanukkah is the latkes, and we've got five sure-to-please recipes from Kosher.com that will help even the novice cook celebrate Hanukkah in style.

In a large bowl combine eggs, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a food processor fitted with the “kugel” blade, add onion and potatoes. Process.

Use your hands to scoop out potato mixture and over the sink or a bowl press your hands together to try and squeeze out as much “juice” as possible.

Add “dryer” potato mixture to the egg bowl.

Tip: After grating the onion and first three potatoes with the kugel blade, I like to switch to the fine “stringy” grater (C blade) and do the last potato like that. This gives the latkes just the right amount of fluffiness with all the goodness of the crispy strings!

Also, instead of using my hands to squeeze out the potatoes, I like to use a large fine mesh strainer. I press down with the back of a large spoon to push all the liquid out of the potato. I then transfer my grated potato and onions to a bowl to mix with all the other ingredients and then return the completed latke mixture to the strainer so that any more liquid that accumulates can just drip right through to a bowl. This will keep the last latke you fry just as crispy as the first one!

Repeat until all the potatoes and onion have been added. Mix until combined.

Add flour and stir until fully incorporated.

To fry: Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to fill the pan one inch high.

When the oil is hot, use a ladle to drop in large scoops of potato mixture, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. (This may take a few batches, but the more room each latke has to fry, the crispier the result will be!)

Allow each latke to fry for two minutes on the first side, then flip and fry one more minute. Remove to a cooling rack or paper towel to drain and repeat with remaining batter.

Using a box grater or in a food processor using the larger shredder blade, alternately shred the potatoes, sweet potatoes and the onions. (Alternating the potatoes with the onions helps keep the potatoes from browning!) Transfer mixture to a colander. With hands, squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible — this will help keep the latkes crispy. Transfer squeezed mixture to large bowl.

Mix in eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Let stand for five minutes. Pour off any excess liquid.

In a large skillet, heat a quarter inch of oil over medium-high heat until oil is very hot but not smoking. Using a quarter cup measure or ladle, add latke mixture to skillet, leaving about an inch between them. Flatten slightly. Fry for about three minutes, or until well browned and crisp around the edges. Flip over; fry for another three minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove to paper towel-lined baking rack.

Repeat with remaining mixture, removing any bits from skillet that are too blackened and adding oil as necessary.

Gluten-free Cauliflower Fritters

Prepare cauliflower rice according to the package directions. Drain extremely well, squeezing out every drop of excess water.

Add eggs, potato starch, cheese, salt and pepper.

Heat oil in skillet to medium heat. Using a small ice cream scoop, carefully scoop balls of mixture straight into skillet. Gently flatten the tops of the ball with the back of the spatula. Fry for one and a half minutes on each side. Remove from pan and let sit for five minutes.

Prepare the latkes: In a food processor fitted with the shredding blade, place the carrots vertically in the feeder and shred. Remove blade and spread shredded carrots on a kitchen towel. Roll the towel up jelly-roll style and twist to squeeze out excess moisture.

Switch food processor to chopping blade and place the garlic and ginger in work bowl. Chop until finely minced.

In a large bowl stir together one-third cup of the flour, the baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the carrots, ginger mixture and eggs. Add more flour as needed to make a loosely held mixture.

Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan by one-quarter inch. Test by dropping a small amount of the mixture into the oil. When it sizzles the oil is ready. Mound mixture in a heaping tablespoon and carefully place into the hot oil. Flatten gently with a spatula or back of a spoon. Cook two to four minutes until golden brown. Using a fork, turn latke over to brown the other side for another two to four minutes.

Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil as needed to prevent latkes from sticking, and adjusting the temperature to maintain an even heat.

Prepare the salsa: In a food processor fitted with the shredding blade, shred apples. Remove into a colander, press and squeeze apples to remove excess juice.

Using a rasp or paddle grater, zest the lemon into a medium bowl. Halve and juice the lemon into a bowl, and remove the seeds. Stir in the honey, apples, green onions, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper. Cover and chill.

Prepare ahead: Keep Carrot Ginger latkes warm in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven for half an hour, or at room temperature for four hours. Reheat before serving. Apple-salsa will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to one day.